More Than One Way
by Moonlit-Rose15
Summary: I suppose that would be how I ended up here. In southern France, about to kill a young woman who would one day mean more to me than anything I've ever known. I suppose you could say that this was when my immortal life truly began, with her.
1. Prologe

**_PROLOGE: _**

My life as a vampire began twenty-two years ago. I along with the rest of my family had become the first of a race that would soon spread. I had been travelling with two of my siblings - Niklaus and Rebekah - throughout Europe. It did not take long for me to leave them and travel alone. I suppose that would be how I ended up here. In southern France, about to kill a young woman who would one day mean more to me than anything I've ever known. I suppose you could say that this was when my immortal life truly began, with her.


	2. Chapter I

_**CHAPTER ONE: **_

_Being behind that brothel that night was the worst and the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me. It was mid-year in a part of the world that would later be called Valence. The night was lukewarm, and the air was filled with a smoky aroma as mothers and midwives prepared meals for their families. It was late summer, the ocean was near. When the wind blew, the air became wet and you could taste the salt on your tongue. Leaves had already begun to change shade and fall, leaving the trees bear for the coming winter. The moon, hidden behind layers of clouds did very little to cast any light. It began to rain, the smell of it washed out the smoke and left behind a thick misty fog that reached the ankles. In my mind it was a decent night to hunt._

_I had been wondering about the streets for hours__, and was so far empty handed. Sadly, the town was quite except for the brothel that seemed to flourish in the night. I decided that my best option would be to take the next human to exit, I started in that direction. And it was then that I'd heard it. Being as old as I was and with the life I lived, I was familiar with the sound of a woman's cries. This caught my attention. I moved towards the alley, where it was coming from._

_Just as I'd made my way round the back I saw her. A figure was huddled against the wall near what seemed to be the back entrance. Shaking and sobbing, she was dressed in a stiff wool robe that was meant for sleeping. The robe had not been made for her; it was oversized and slid from one shoulder. In the dim light her skin appeared a pale cinnamon in color. She hadn't moved when it'd started to drizzle, and did not noticed my presence as I approached._

_"Excuse me. Are you alright, my lady?" I asked over the rain, trying to get her attention. I spoke French fairly well, having to use it for business when in this country._

_She flinched at the sound of my voice before looking up at me. A whimper of fear came from her, smothered as she edged closer to the wall at her back. Her eyes, which where red and slightly puffy from crying, where an odd shade of something that I could not identify then. They were a mix of brown and green, strange. Her shoulder length dark hair was wet and clung to the skin of her face and neck. Her rich caramel skin looked pale and ghostly under the thin moonlight. _

_"I am no lady, Monsieur." Her lip trembled._

_"What is your name?"_

_"H-he calls me Elizabeth." Her voice cracked and shook when she said "He", yet somehow a look of discuss was planted firmly on her face for a brief second. My curiosity had been peaked, and my morality had gotten the better of me. Without realizing, I found myself sitting beside her. Being closer I could see that she was indeed quite young._

_"What do you call yourself?"_

_"A-Arisa."_

_"What a strange name. Well, Arisa, why are you crying?"_

_Her eyes had gone wide with shock, but she avoided looking at me directly. I hadn't thought of it then, but I was probably the first person to ever ask her that. Looking away, she hesitated. Then in a small yet honest voice she said to me, "I am a slave here. The man who owns this place, owns me as well." More tears slid down her cheek, mixing with the rain on her face. She wiped them away quickly. The action was in vain because the moment her hand left her face more would appear._

_I pitied her. It was the first time that I could recall feeling such a way for a human since my transition. She looked harmless enough, innocent even. But here she was, crying in the cold rain because life disagreed with her. With a deep sigh, I removed the thick riding cloak from my shoulders and placed it around her. She reached with shaking hands to clutch it tighter, pulling it close. The movement seemed hesitant, unsure, and unintentional._

_"No one can own you." I knew this to be a lie, even before the words left my mouth. But she had needed to hear something that would be of some encouragement. Once again she'd given me that look of disbelief; she might have even thought of me as insane. But behind that I saw her wanting to hope, hope that what I'd said would one day be so._

_"I came out here to run away, but then I remembered that I have nowhere to run to. This world has nothing to offer someone like me. I would rather have died than to have been brought to this place." Her lip no longer trembled and was now a hard line as the words blurted out of her. Her voice shook with frustration and anger that she hadn't expected. She quickly composed herself to some degree, and turned her head away from me._

_"So you believe that death is the solution." I could clearly see that she did. There was no doubt, no fear in the prospect of death. But I could tell that she was lying to me about something. "You did not come out here to run away."_

_Her jaw clenched, her eyes pinched slightly at the edges. Shocked, and a bit irritated, that she had been caught in a lie, she looked away for a moment. I assumed that the decision to tell me the truth or to say nothing was circling in her mind. She chose the former. Keeping her eyes away from my face, and with a sigh, she spoke slowly in her French, explaining her reasoning._

_"Have you heard of the madman who has been killing the women in the village?" She hadn't waited for my response "I have been coming out here every night this past week, hoping to be next._

_Immediately I felt the sudden harsh sting of regret. I did not want this child to know that the very person she spoke of was me. Strange though, if it had been anyone else I would have said something like 'Your persistence has gotten you lucky...' or something to that effect. But I did not want her to see me as a monster, I wanted to be human. I wanted her to believe that I was as human as she. Why?_

"_I believe that you have nothing to fear, the madman has moved on." Another lie._

_"What makes you so sure?"_

_"I just have a feeling."_

_In our brief moment of silence I'd noticed the noise coming from inside. Someone was banging around-in what sounded like- a kitchen. Whoever the person was, they seemed rushed. It was then that the door that was only a few feet from the girl had swung open, hitting the building's frame with a loud smack. There stood a very pale woman, her hair fell lose in long blonde curls, which in this day and age only those of her profession would do. The deep blue dress she wore hugged a trim waist and flowed smoothly. Green eyes scanned the alley, lingering on me for a moment before finally fixing a hard stare at the child beside me. The crying girl was now silent and standing, the rain helping to disguise her tears. Her head bowed as she slowly slid the cloak from her shoulders._

_"What are you doing out here!" Her sorry attempt to hide the irritation in her voice was not lost on me._

_I was still close enough to feel her stiffen beside me, then begin to shake in fear of the woman's voice. I stood and moved forward, standing between them but not covering the child completely from the woman's view. Then this frail child stepped from behind me and with her eyes still downcast, turned and held my cloak out towards me. I made no move to take it from her._

_"Take it with you."_

_She gave me another bow without looking up at me and she was off, walking hurriedly inside with my cloak folded over her arms. I watched her and didn't realize that I was staring until the woman that I had all but forgotten began to speak to me._

_"Will you be joining us for the night, Monsieur?"_

_I did not answer her. And it was with a shocking realization that I found my throat still burning with a thirst that had been ignored until now. The fair haired woman remind in the doorway, safe from the rain…and me._

_"Come." I compelled, looking deeply into shallow green eyes that hid nothing. She walked into the now pouring rain without resistance, allowing my will to overpower her mind. I caught her scent just before it was washed away from the rain and it was as predicted, sweat and sex, no different from most of __des prostituées__. I contemplated the idea of drinking from her and although I wanted to be done with it and leave, I needed a bit of information first._

_"Tell me what you know of that slave girl."_

_With the dull mindless voice of a compelled human she told me all she knew. "She's the master's personal slave. No other man may touch her less he permit it."_

_Those words caused the overwhelming need to kill to flood through my body, but something in me told me ~ Not yet~. I took a few steps towards the structure. The door, which was still ajar, swung in the wind. The warm light from the fires inside was the only thing that penetrated the wet coolness of the night. I tried to put my hand through the door without success._

_"Who lives here?" I asked turning back to the blonde woman who was now dripping wet from head to toe._

_"We all do. The master and his women, I mean."_

_"And you as well."_

_"Yes, milord." She dipped into a small ungraceful curtsey then, her minor attempts at formalities and manners shown even through my compulsion._

_"Invite me in." I commanded._

_"Would you like to come in?"_

_I tested the door once more, pleased I walked back towards the woman, still bent and head bowed. There was only one question I had left: "Do you treat that slave girl well? Answer truthfully."_

_"Why should I, she is but a slave."_

_I feel that it goes without saying that I killed her then. I found-without remorse or regret- that I did not like her. However beautiful, she lacked what I admired most about humans. She was no better than the inhumane monsters that my siblings had become._

_I left her body there, completely empty of blood, on the cold hard dirt and stone of the alleyway. I remember that the rain was still falling, masking the smell of blood and death. It would be this way all night, and maybe the morning also._

_Then I began to feel strange, nothing serious, but it felt as though someone was staring at me. The sensation made my skin crawl. I looked up behind me. Gazing at me with a blank stare, from a square hole in the slanted roof of the brothel was the child, Elizabeth. No, that was her slave name. Her name was Arisa. Her hair had been pulled back and plated, leaving her face open and unshielded from my gaze. As I said before her expression was blank. And her apathy had caused a wanting but also the deep unmistakable feeling of guilt. I had not wanted her to know, to see._

_I was aware now of the idea that had begun to form itself the instant she disappeared from my sight with my cloak in hand. I would've come back. To do what, I haven't the slightest clue, but even so I would be here. Maybe, if nothing else, to talk a little more._

_There was something about this situation that gave me the strange urge to laugh. Not wanting her to think me strange-among other things-I settled for a light smile instead._

_Till this day I do not know what I really meant by what I did next, nor could I have predicted her reaction. It was an odd gesture really, but I found myself placing my index finger to my lips in a shushing movement, as if to tell her to keep "this" quite. And… well… she nodded, giving me the silent confirmation that she would not speak of what she'd seen. This might have frightened me more than her current lack of emotion. There has never been a time when a human has seen a vampire's true nature and not run screaming in fear. Never has a human just kept silent. But she did._

_And I had not compelled her._


	3. Chapter II

_**CHAPTER TWO:**_

_It would take three nights before I'd see her again. And for three nights I could be found in one of two places. The first would be in the home of a widow -she'd been compelled to believe that I was a distant relative- who lived just outside the village._

_When I had left the other night my expectation was that I would go to the manor I had acquired in this country, but my home was a great distance from this place. I could not bring myself to leave from here, I tried in the beginning, but an hour had not passed before I ran back. I did not even bother to saddle my horse, I was faster on foot._

_I found this small house on my way back into town. I quickly compelled the occupants once they came to the door, but didn't waste time telling them to invite me in because there was on point. I couldn't bring myself to sleep, or eat- it wasn't as I if I really needed it-, I was too worried to do any of it, anyway._

_I'd been pacing back and forth so much so that the woman -Mary- had thrown a temper about how I was starting a rut in her flower garden. That was how I had spent the first fourteen hours since leaving her. It was after being reprimanded and compelling my host not to speak to me unless spoken to, that I found a tavern. There, I spent my last two days, nine hours, and forty-five minutes until I'd gotten myself so inebriated that I somehow managed to talk myself into going back._

_I waited until after sundown before I gave a slurred goodbye to the generous barkeep and left. It was not a very long way to the brothel but it felt that way. I could've run the entire way using my accelerated speed, but it'd still take too long. I do not know if it was from my attempt to put some distance between us, or because I was drunk, but I could not get to her fast enough._

_I walked, with drunken irritation, through the little French village in the final stages of day once again. The sun's warmth from earlier in the day was beginning to fade. Curls of great smoke rose from the multitudes of chimneys, adding a smell to the air that reminded me of home._

_Young boys and girls who had spent the hours keeping house and preparing meals, or laboring with men and courting ladies had begun their last parade through town. Buying and selling any last minute goods in the market. Shopkeepers drove away small children who, in fear of yelling strangers, ran to cling to their mothers' skirts. Yes, the villages in this country were always quite a roar before it calmed. And I was thirsty once again._

_During my period of inner turmoil I'd hardly drank much else aside from the wine. I did however sip-from time to time- from whoever poured my drink, but only enough to sustain, not enough to satisfy or kill. _

'I will be fine. I can wait until see her.'_ I would be able to control myself. Oddly, I'd felt a sense of joyful relief when the off angled structure came into view. I was beginning to feel many strange things since about four days ago. _

_Listening carefully, I did not hear Arisa in the back of the building as I did before. _'It must be too early. Come to think of it, it was much later in the night the last time.'_ Not wanting to wait all night hoping that she may or may not come out, I went inside._

_A veil of bright cloth served as the entrance. The actual door swung inside in invitation. Seeing as how I'd already been invited in, I did not hesitate when entering. Hardly seconds passed before I was surrounded by the powdered faces of wanton women. They all giggle lightly as they caressed my face, hair, and chest. "I've seen you before. You're that nobleman who lives in the manor in the country," Said a dark-haired woman with an oval-shaped face. Upon seeing that the woman had staked some sort of claim by identifying me, the others shied away while the dark-haired woman moved closer. _

"_I've come to speak with whoever owns this place." She gave a pout at my uninterested tone and wrapped her arms around my neck. Running thin fingers along my cheek and jaw, she looked at me with a seductive smile, lust shining in her eyes all too brightly. If I were under different circumstances, I would have entertained her offer, but I was in somewhat of a rush. "I came here for a reason and it was not to lie above you. Now, if you would be so kind, I would like to speak to your master." _

_There was no need for me to use any compulsion; she'd heard the cold indifference in my voice. She did not try to flaunt herself at me again, she would've gotten nowhere. The muscle in her jaw jumped slightly and she swallowed before adding a simple "Follow me." Releasing me, she turned and walked towards the back, swaying her hips beneath her gown as if to say 'your loss.'_

_Already I could feel the alcohol leaving me. One of the pit-falls of being a vampire: I don't stay drunk nearly as long as I want to. Accelerated healing and all that. The wine was one of the only things keeping me distracted from my growing thirst; the other was my desire to see a particular human. In hindsight I should've prepared for this much better._

_As we approached the only hall that went directly to the back of the building, I heard the menacing growl of a man along with a smacking sound and a female's cry. When we reached one of the doors, the woman leading me knocked on the door lightly, and in a voice that lacked the confidence and seductive allure from only moments ago said, "Someone to see you, Master." After a moment, an uninviting "Come in" answered. She opened the door and made way for me to enter in after her._

_There was no evidence of the 'altercation' I'd heard outside; by evidence I mean there weren't any women. This man was alone in what seemed to be his bedroom chambers, study, and personal dining hall all in the same room. To say that the room was unorganized was a bit of an understatement. There was parchment and half empty ink bottles with quills still inside them on the table in the center. A few feet from that was a bed to the right and a circular table that small families and lesser landowners use for eating to the left. It seemed to be the only thing clean. The pile of linen on the bed was a mess of a loose ball, and the smell of sweat and body odor was heavy in this room. _

"_Who are you good sir?" He'd quickly regained his composer and spoke now with only trace amounts of anger from before. He was a lean man, slender in stature. Average compared to most, hair graying due to age, eyes a normal shade of brown, there was really nothing about him physically that would draw ones' eyes. His clothing on the other hand was quite the opposite, he draped himself in the finest fabrics that this town had to offer. _

"_My name is Elijah Mikealson." _

"_Ah Monsieur, it is a pleasure, my name is Francis. Would you care for a drink?" Before I was able to give my approval, Francis had nodded to the dark-haired woman that had escorted me who was still in the doorway. "Send her in with the wine…and make her presentable." He gestured for the round dining table and I walked over, taking a seat across from him. _


	4. Chapter III

_**CHPTER THREE:**_

"_So what brings you here on this lovely evening, Monsieur?" He spoke, taking his seat on the little stool. His voice monotone and slightly raspy but light in his attempt at friendly conversation. _

"_I am here to discuss a bit of business with you." _

"_And what would that be?" He placed his elbows on the wooden table, folding his hands before his face and leaning forward. _

"_It's quite simple really. I need a new 'maid' to entertain my household and I was hoping you were willing to sell. I am willing to pay handsomely for one." Once again my mind was creating plans and words left my mouth without my notice. I didn't know if a vampire was capable of losing his mind, but I was beginning to think that I was on the steady decline to possible insanity. _

_Francis's eyes began to shine at the mention of money. Now that I'd said it, it sounded like a good idea. There was no doubt in my mind as to whether Arisa wanted to be here, she'd told me so herself. And if she were with me I could keep her safe, or at the very least offer her the human life she should have gotten. _'What the hell am I thinking? Why should I even care about this one human amongst thousands?'_ I regretted these thoughts immediately of course, but I was asking myself some very good questions._

"_Ahem! Did you hear me, my lord?" Francis had asked me something or was speaking in general, I wasn't sure, and was waiting on my response. _

"_What was it you were saying?" I asked suddenly trying to give my full attention. _

_He gave a forced laugh, annoyed because he had been ignored. "I was just saying that I have many different girls, and I was wondering what you were looking for?" Another laugh._

"_Young definitely, pleasing to look at, with something physically odd yet beautiful…and preferably dark-haired."_

"_It seems that you know exactly what you want." I gave him a smile, what emotion was portrayed in it, I don't know. His expression suddenly changed, and I started to feel as though something had gone wrong. He no longer looked like a man who was about to swindle a small fortune from a noble, no, the look in his eyes suggested that he'd figured something out. This look said that he had finally found the answer to some mystery that'd been eluding him._

"_Tell me, Mousier, do you come to our little town often?"_ _ He stood and made his way over to a small window near the bed that I hadn't noticed before now. The face he made was that of a man who was plotting. _

"_I come whenever I'm able. Why do you ask?" More walking, this time he moved over to the heap atop his bed. Once he found what he was looking for he reoccupied his seat and slid the garment over to me. _

"_Does this belong to you Monsieur?"_

_My eyes shifted to my cloak atop the table, the embroidery from my crest catching the candle light, the crimson 'M' was unmistakably familiar. There was a tear in the neckline of the hood that was not there when I'd given it away._

_I leaned forward, my forearms resting on the table before me, fingers intertwined. I kept myself a picture of perfect composition; but in all honesty I was-_as your generation would say_-'pissed-off'. He had taken this from Arisa. The coward probably tore it from her hands. A string of curses sat on the tip of my tongue and my fingers gave a momentary twitch at the thought of straggling him. If I lost control and kill him, here and now it would only make things unnecessarily difficult in the long term._

"_It is. Why do you ask?"_

"_This was in the possession of one of my slaves. Did she steal this from you?"_

"_It was more of a gift."_

_Francis' face had gone red at my words and his thin mouth now resembled a line. _'Jealousy'. _His chest heaved as if he were to vomit and his hands began to turn white as he gripped the table. His mouth opened suddenly, then he smiled as something occurred to him. _

"_I only wish that I had known _before_ I had punished her"_

_His eyes did not leave my face and I sat there; still and visibly calm. And we sat there staring at each other waiting for the other to brake when a knock sounded at the door. Letting go of the table he crossed his legs the way men often do and placed his hands on his knees. "Enter". The door opened slowly and in came the oval-faced woman from before with a curtsy. She was obviously afraid as she had been before but did a better job of hiding it. Francis stood from his chair, she was not who he was expecting. _

"_What is it, Jane?" She did not rise, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. _

"_It is her master. She refuses to come." Four words; those last four simple words were enough to send this man flying from the room. Given that his height was slightly less than average, his stride was oddly long. Jane quickly moved from the door as he passed her, careful to look anywhere but at him. I stood but did not follow him, I couldn't. There was no proof that his anger was reserved for her. _'It might be some other girl,'_ I tried to tell myself, although my every instinct told me to stop him. Told me that I had to keep this monster from Arisa, to find her and leave this place. _

_His voice was booming and echoing throughout the halls. I was tensed, my body ready to spring at a moment's notice. My every sense was focused on following him, waiting for any sign that his anger was because of Arisa. He stumbled down the north hall opening every door and searching inside each room. There were screams from men and women as their activities were interrupted. _

"_Where are you, you miserable whore?!" His steps slowed as he crashed into the last room yelling _'Elizabeth!'

_Everything stopped for a small fraction of time after I heard that. 'Elizabeth' that was his name for her. It was the name she didn't want, I remembered the look on her face when she told it to me. Anger boiled in the pit of my stomach and my vision went hazy. _

_I don't recall ever moving but I must have. One moment, I was in his small chambers, still standing beside the wooden table with my hand still gripping my chair, the next I am behind Francis, watching him open the last door. My face had changed; I could feel it, my fangs pushing against my lower lip. I did not think, I could only move and feel; and what I felt then was like nothing I ever felt before and I was sure I would never feel again. I wanted this 'thing' dead, wiped away from existence with no traces left behind. I needed him dead. This one threat; this evil thing that would harm an innocent child should have never been allowed to walk this earth._

_I only took action; my hands found the head as It turned. I snapped It's neck, although It's body was facing me, It's head was now turned to the open door of an empty room. Any harder and I would've ripped the head from the shoulders. Even with everything else that happened that night, my only regret was that I killed him too quickly._

00000000000000

"My apologies, I hope that wasn't too graphic for you." Haiyana hadn't really moved since I started the story again. Her one leg was still folded beneath the other in her chair. Her hands sat in her lap and she had leaned forward slightly, engrossed in the story once again. Only one bite was missing from the now cold pizza. It was with wide eyes that she shook her head and motioned for me to go on.

"How much of this do you actually want to hear?" I would've thought that any normal child would be begging for me to stop by now, at least that was what I was hoping for. After all she is listening to stories about me committing actual murder.

"Everything! I want to know everything, start to finish!" Haiyana still spoke in that excited whisper, still afraid to break the _'vibe'_ as she called it earlier.

"Why? Nothing I tell you about my past with her will change anything."

"True, but she won't tell me anything about you. She avoids it. I know everything about the rest of your family like they were my own. Hell, Nik tries to spend Christmases with us if he can. But no one will tell me what is so bad that even mentioning your name is taboo."

This shouldn't have shocked me as much as it did. I knew that Risa still resented me after all these years; she was a vampire after all and she had nothing but time. She could never tolerate men who betrayed her in any way. Even if I did all of it to protect her. But I would think that those two would at the very least talk about what happened. But then again I could see why that wouldn't happen. If Risa had questioned my actions at some point; Niklaus would most likely refuse to answer her. He and I have never really been on the best of terms since my first time leaving him, not to mention that he's not the talking type.

Haiyana looked at me expectantly. I suppose that I am meant to give an answer to her outburst. "It is because I broke her. She trusted me to help her and I did something that…changed things between us."

She thought about this for a moment, still attempting to puzzle my meaning. If Haiyana truly knew the woman that is her ancestral mother, she would know that I must have hurt Risa in such a way that was unforgivable if she still hated me for it. She eyed the glass table as if the answers were locked away in the reflection.

"What did you do to her?" she whispered slowly.

"I…" I was at a loss for words. I could explain how our relationship had changed with just one decision. I could even pinpoint the exact moment my world with Risa collapsed. But what of the lies I told, the lives I took, the minds I had whipped clean; all of this I'd done in the name of protecting the one I loved above all others. Could I truly make this child understand all this? Could I make her see that I had done this out of love? "I would have to finish the story."

She glanced at the wire wall clock a few feet above the table and sighed. She was young, only a year younger than Risa the first time we met; now she looked like a woman twice her age. Deep lines that usually appeared with sadness or worry were etched into her face. I felt somewhat guilty that I was the cause of them.

"We have some time 'til she gets back. Go ahead."

000000000000000

'Breathe. Just breathe.'_ I had been repeating this to myself like a mantra. My body was on edge, and even after I regained the ability to think clearly, I couldn't calm myself down. My vision was still tinged with red; my face had not yet changed back. No one had come running yet. They all still feared the temper of the dead thing at my feet. I needed to leave before anyone came looking for him and in my current state I wouldn't think twice about killing anyone who came through the hall. I had to leave before things got any more complicated. _

'NO! NOT WITHOUT ARISA!'_ I had nearly screamed this aloud, but the thought was not mine. It was a whispered voice that made the head ache when it increased in volume, but it was not mine. Apparently, I can't leave here without her. I looked back at the body, trying to decide as to whether I should drag it into the room or not. Truth be told I did not want to touch, or even see the thing that had caused such a monstrous reaction within me. I still felt no remorse for this death but… I could have handled it better. _

_Inside the room looked similar to the others that the men and women used when in need of privacy. Although I did not have a thorough examination of the others in my haste to kill; I did, however, catch a few glimpses whilst Jane led me into her master's chambers. Inside, the furry skins of various animals-as well as other things-were thrown together to form a plush makeshift bed. A small, odd looking fire place was along the furthest wall to the right of the door. Well…it was more of a hole in the wall, lined with stones to keep the frame from burning. Tall pillar candles were scattered about in various places, most if not all were yellowed with age, misshapen and half melted from numerous use. _

_I had only just put the body in the room with a huff when I heard a sound. It was the same sound one would hear when stone hit stone, then dirt. It was from the fireplace. I stopped moving and made myself completely still. For a second I could not even bring myself to breathe. It may have been because of my anxiousness (or paranoia) but I felt the need to check if anyone had been inside. All of my senses were still heightened so I only needed to listen, and I heard the quickened pace of a heart. I acted on my first instinct and began to walk over and pull out whoever was inside…at least that is what I started to do._

'If you scare them it will only make things more difficult.'_ It was the same voice that told me I could not leave. Without thinking much about it I quickly closed the door to the room. It caught on the dead thing's foot and I had to nudge it out of the way with the toe of my riding boot for the door to close completely. My attempt was to make whoever was inside believe that I had gone. What would happen after that was beyond me. My throat still burned, and the small amount of blood on the floor, however disgusting in my mind, was not making me feel any easier. _'Maybe if this all works towards a more positive note I might walk out of here without killing anyone else.'

_The seconds slowly ticked on in my head and passed into a full minute and still the human did not free themselves from hiding. I had become uncomfortably stiff in my strong attempt at being still, and my patience was slipping. _'I will not have this any longer!'_ it was not the voice this time, the thought was all mine and I had become irritated. I wanted to leave as quickly as possible and this had taken too much time already. I could hear the others outside of this room begin to ask questions, it wouldn't be much longer before they started a search for the corpse on the floor. _

"_Show yourself now and I will not harm you." I did not know if that would be true or not, although I was sure that it wasn't. _

_The heart that I had been listening to so carefully began to beat faster than before. It could easily be compared to a bird in flight. It was too fast and I was sure that whoever was inside would die of fright. The only other time I'd heard a heart so strong and fast would be when I would drink the blood of some poor soul until the point of their death. Theirs would always sounded this way before they slowed into absolute stillness. 'The poor thing.'_

_The new thought sent me burning once more, and I was inclined to just pull the being from hiding one way or another. Everything in me was tune to this hunt (I will use this for lack of a better word), so much so that I was sure that I could smell and hear the blood rushing through their veins._

_I could not prolong my thirst any further. I moved towards the fireplace. As I did so I saw the small foot dangling in the open space in search of the dirt beneath it. It was her, Arisa. Her other foot had not yet touched the ground but I knew it was her, and I stood frozen before the fireplace._

_She crawled from the small hearth covered in ash and soot from head to toe. The greyness of it made her skin look sickly, lifeless, and old; she shared the resemblance of a moth and not a girl. A grey cloud followed behind her, filling the room with a dusty smell that distracted me from the smell of her blood. I could only stand there and looked at her. I was truly happy that I had found her, but for a moment I prayed that I hadn't. I wished that I could close my eyes and open them to find some other human, one that I could kill. I prayed that it had been anyone but her, because for a second time she had seen me for what I was: the monster, the vampire, an abomination to the balance of nature; and yet she still gave me the same blank stare as before. I might have felt better if she were afraid, or disgusted, or something, I would have settled for anything. _

_I could see myself reflected in her gaze and I was horrified by it. The whites of my eyes had disappeared and there was nothing but red in its place. Bulging beep blue veins protruded beneath them. My mouth was closed so I could not see my fangs, but I could feel the elongated canines threaten to tear through my lips. I feared my own face simply because of the curse that followed, so why didn't she? Was she frozen with shock or fear? Did she understand what I was? Did she care? _

"_Did you see?"_

_She nodded, and without looking away from me she lifted her hand to motion towards the wall behind her. There I saw a slit above the fireplace that was roughly the same height as her shoulder. Staying silent, she lowered her arm back to her side, staring at me. A few times I found it difficult to meet that stare. _

_My tongue felt like cotton in my mouth as I tried and failed to open it and give some sort of explanation. My mind was a confusing mass of words. There was nothing I could say that could make this right. Already I had come to terms as to whether I should compel her or not. I had not done so before and it would be selfish of me to do so now when it was I who had made the mistake. If she had only been a witness to the death of that woman from a few days earlier it would not be a problem; she was young enough that I could persuade her of another story of my own creation. But there was no mistaking what she saw here, and I couldn't bring myself to make her forget and start anew with lies. _'How could I be so foolish?'

_Arisa's eyes fluttered, and for a second it seemed like she had no idea where she was. She turned about, looking around the room. When she had seen the body on the floor she moved toward it in a dazed manner. I had not moved until she passed me and when she had done so I was all too quick to press back to the wall off to my left. I hoped desperately that it would swallowed me as I watched her. She silently tipped-toed around to see the face of the dead thing. I was surprised to see her eyes glisten with the hint of tears. Those strange eyes found me once again except now they were sharp and unclouded. Her face was no longer a blank expressionless void, but I was not in the right frame of mind to decode what emotions I saw there. Suddenly her mouth had fallen with a breath meant for speech, but she had fallen short and remained silent. _

_I only stood there and listened to anything that was not the sound of her slow pounding heart. There was laughter, conversation, and other unsavory sounds that I decided to turn a blind eye to; but above all this I could hear the sound of heeled shoes echoing down the narrow hall. They continued to get louder with every step._

_I pushed myself from my spot against the wall without any warning, causing Arisa to take several quick steps away. I held up my hands to show that I meant her no harm. Her eyes bounced from them to my eyes and her mouth twisted as though she were to vomit._

"_We do not have much time. I came here to take you with me, and I must leave now before this-" I began to motion toward the body before I reconsidered, thinking it best not to point her focus to it. "-before we are found. You may still come with and I promise to explain everything." The broken French tumbled over my lips so fast that I was afraid that she wouldn't understand me. _

_Her eyes grew so wide at my words that they were like disc, and again they found the corpse on the floor in front of her. She only stood there, frozen. If she had ever said anything I would not have heard it; all I could hear were those damned steps moving from room to room and a voice that called out the name of the dead. I did not fear being found here, that was the least of my worries. No, my concern was that I was still thirsty. I could easily compel whomever walked through that door to forget ever seeing me, but I could not allow Arisa to be a witness if I were to end up killing them. I could not let that happen, nor could I spend time waiting for an answer that may never come._

"_You must trust me. I promise I will keep you safe." That was the last thing I had said to her that night before I'd scooped her into my arms and ran from the room just as the door was being opened. I heard the surprised gasp of the woman who had opened the door. Screams soon followed, but I didn't stop. Though the halls, the door, the town, I didn't stop until my manor came into view. After that the rest of the night fell into a blur. The last thing I could recall was passing through the large wooden doors with an unconscious girl in my arms._

…

**A.A.: it may be awhile before chapter for is up and running so bear with me. Please read and review, I enjoy getting feedback both positive and negative.**


	5. Author's Note

Hello Everyone,

I know it has been some time since I lasted updated, and for that I apologize. I have gone through many changes in the last few years that have nulled my motivation to post new chapters. Nevertheless I have recently continued in writing this story while also seeking inspiration for some new ones as well.

Please continue to be patient with me.

Sincerely Yours,

Moonlit-Rose15


End file.
